AridWings
collab between digger and dj!!! yas username link sigil image, MUST BE 100px Description: tan/brown scales, large ears Abilities: Venomous bite, metabolism efficiency Location: Section of territory between SandWings and IceWings Empress: Empress Meigui Diet: Small game, some forest life, occasional plant life Alliances: SkyWings, SandWings Rules Permission is required for: *Animus (provide general outline) *Royalty (provide detailed outline) *Hybrids (provide general outline, no history necessary) *Special (appearance + why they look odd) Special AridWings are ones that are oddly colored, for example. Melanistic and albino AridWings are considered special. __TOC__ Description AridWings are a tribe living in the desert. General AridWings are one of the medium-sized tribes, or about the height of a MudWing. They were built to resist the desert heat, due to their heat resistant scales. They have large fennec fox-like eats to detect sound very well, and can fold up like pieces of paper. They are also quite skinny, making it easier to climb over sand dunes. AridWings have thick scales to resist the heat of the desert. These scales are scattered around the body. When in cold temperatures, a AridWing’s thick scales act like solar panels so they can stay warm. They also have strong, short limbs to tunnel into the sand to hide from prey and enemies. Their horns are generally long and either straight or wavy. There is a sail on their back to regulate their warmth. Coloration AridWings may look like SandWings from a distance, but their build and colors are somewhat different. AridWings are described as having cinnamon brown scales, though a few have had desert yellow scales. Very few of them are albino. Their eyes are dark so it’s easier to see during sandstorms. The sails can range from red, orange, or yellow. Extra Info Early AridWings had a more stockier build. The original AridWings had black stripes from their eyes to the tip of their snout, but evolution has taken that from them. Subgroups AridWings have three subgroups that each member of the tribe should be able to be defined in. They each are different in a way. Hybrids between these subgroups ALWAYS look like one parent, not a mix of the two. Cuculidae The Cuculidae subtype often decrease their activity during the day, and use their scales to absorb heat. They are omnivores, but a few are herbivores or carnivores. They have a specialized digestive track that helps with avoiding the sharp prickles of a cactus. This is where they get their water from. They have three forward-facing talons, and one that appears like a cross between a bird's talon and a Scavenger thumb. This allows them to write and grip items easier, like swords or daggers. Gekkonidae The Gekkonidae are the smaller of all the subtypes. They have slightly prehensile tails that help them sometimes hang upside down. This subtype can molt their scales like a snake. This helps when they’re growing. This subtype eats bugs, fruits, and the nectar of flowers in their forest habitat. This subtype also makes chirping, barking, and clicking noises when threatened. Canidae The Canidae subtype are more nocturnal. They are most recognized for their almost wolflike features, which include larger ears, as well as padded talons. Their eyes are extremely sensitive to light, and they are very quiet when on the ground. Abilties AridWings can resist the desert heat, similarly to SandWings, but they have other unique abilities too. Metabolism Efficiency AridWings can survive for up to 5 weeks without food or water. The effects on them are not as bad on them as other tribes, except the SandWings. After the five weeks are up, a AridWing has only 3 more days after that to find food and water, or they die. Only a few hybrids (except for Sand/Arid) have this ability, but for SandWing hybrids it’s an increased chance. Venomous Bite All pureblooded AridWings have a venomous bite. The venom is produced in a special organ beside their stomach. It contains similar chemicals to the digestive liquid in the stomach, but this is much more concentrated. When an AridWing eats, unwanted or useless chemicals are sent to this organ. The venom is then sent to a "pouch" in their snout, where the venom is stored until something is bitten. The venom causes the tissue around the bite to decay, and can cause infections much quicker than a normal dragon bite could. AridWings are immune to a blood relative's venom. Culture The AridWings are a somewhat religious tribe, and believe in their own gods, much like the TempestWings do. A few members of the tribe do believe in the Pyrrhian Kami. They prize their religion above all. The tribe seems like a calm, peacemaking tribe, but sometimes they can be a bit violent. Architecture The AridWings can build houses and buildings out of wood traded in from the SkyWings. They farm silk from silkworms to make tapestries that they then hang above their doors. They also farm bamboo since the conditions near the forest and the river are near perfection. They make pillows stuffed with bamboo fibers are comfort. The roofs of houses are made of either bamboo or woven straw. Beliefs The AridWings are a religious tribe. They have religion devoted to the gods and goddesses of various elements and aspects of life, such as fire or death. Some of their gods are: Jade Emperor: The ruler of the Heavens. They can command the other gods and goddesses, and if absolutely necessary, create deities. Suoyou: The chreator god. He seems kind and gentle, but has developed a distaste for dragonkind. He can give life and create whatever he wishes. Meiyou: The goddess of death and destruction. She is Suoyou's wife. She can seem cruel and sadistic, but actually has somewhat of a soft spot for dragons. She can destroy and kill whatever she wants to, and allows spirits into the heavens. Taiyang: The son of Suoyou and Meiyou, and brother to the moon goddess. He is fiery and loyal to any cause he believes in. He can control the sun itself. Yueliang: The daughter of the two chief deities and the sister of Taiyang. She is calm and almost shy, and is a quiet voice of innocence. She can control the moonlight and stars. Tiankong: He was created at the Jade Emperor's command. He is wild and untamed, like the wind. He can control the wind and create storms. Diqiu: She was created alongside Tiankong to maintain balance against the sky god's wild personality. She is sweet and loving, and is seen as a symbol of life. She can control plants, the earth, and creates earthquakes when she is angered or anxious. Huôyàn: The son of Diquiu and Tiankong, and the brother of the ice goddess. He is unpredictable and untamable, switching emotions in the blink of an eye. He controls fire and lightning. Lěng: The goddess of ice and cold, sister to the fire god, and daughter of the earth and sky. She is a voice of reason against her brother's fiery temper, and will support anything there is a logical reason behind. She seems cold and distant, but will gladly help dragons in need. She can control ice and, to an extent, weather and wind. These gods are widely accepted across the kingdom, although there are a few individuals who are atheists or believe in different deities. The AridWings take religious attacks very personally, as they take great pride in their religion. Traditions The AridWings have a few traditions they follow. When a AridWing dies, they are often buried. If it’s a royal AridWing or an important member of the military, then the body is buried in an intricately carved stone coffin surrounded by clay soldiers. It is traditional that family of the deceased ones will light incense at the burial. Inheriting the throne is practiced by all the tribes, and the AridWings do it too, but the AridWings do it with a bit of a difference. The current ruler is called a ‘emperor’ or a ‘empress’. A dragon is given 24 hours to prepare for challenges. The challenge is a fight to the death. If the challenger submits, they get a second chance. If they lose again, they must wait for the next ruler. Female rulers are more common. Holidays The AridWings have three major holidays. Spring Festival The Spring Festival is from mid-January to mid-February. It allows AridWings to stop work and honor their deceased rulers. The first day of the celebration starts at midnight, and they welcome the deities of the sky and earth (Tiankong and Diqiu). They light fireworks, burn bamboo, and set off firecrackers. A few dragons will dance to evict evil spirits from the premises. On the second day of the celebration is the time for when married daughters visited their birth parents, relatives, and close friends. During the post-Scorching time, dragons who were poor would go from house to house with a wooden bowl saying prayers to the god/goddess of wealth. The owners of the home could give them ‘lucky coins’. The third day of the celebration was sometimes called “red mouth” or Huǒyàn’s day. Huǒyàn was the god of flame, so dragons would burn paper on fire as an offering. It is considered unlucky if you have guests or go visiting. On the fifth day, it would be considered the god/goddess of wealth’s birthday. They will also set off firecrackers as if to get their attention. The eighth day is a family dinner to honor the Jade Emperor, the ruler of the heavens. The ninth day allows dragons to give prayers to the Jade Emperor. The AridWings tend to give out red envelopes with coins inside. 30 or 50 coins are considered a funeral gift. They will also light firecrackers and fireworks. AridWings also wear red clothing (in modern timelines) during this holiday. Red paper lanterns are hung from the edge of roofs. AridWings find flowers in the forest region of their territory, and the RainWings allow them to come to the rainforest to gather flowers. The flowers can mean luck or even tranquility. Moon Festival This holiday is celebrated during mid-autumn. The AridWings will gather to worship the moon. A small pastry called mooncakes are made by AridWings are a treat during this holiday. They often burned incense and danced. They would carry lit lanterns or let them fly off into the sky. Eating a mooncake meant unity with family. Qingming Festival This holiday happens on the fourth or fifth of April. AridWings would visit their ancestors’ graves and burial grounds. Offerings were given at this time, such as food, tea, wine, chopsticks, scroll parchments, and colored paper. When this holiday happens, AridWings place willow branches above their doors to ward off evil spirits. Naming AridWings have either Chinese or Japanese themed names. Royalty is traditionally named Chinese names. Examples: *Shuǐ *Kōnqì *Liú *Xī Other Stuff AridWings have signs and symbols. Examples: Jade disk: heaven Jade: eternal life Phoenix: royalty Dove: love Bamboo: virtue White: mourning AridWings also practice many herbal treatments, such as acupuncture and make medicine from the plants in their kingdom. The AridWings also practice a form of art called calligraphy. It is drawings with ink inside of scrolls. The tools a AridWing would need are usually sold in Oakland, the capital. The tools are: Ink brushes (made of bamboo and animal hair) Ink (sold in ink sticks) Paper Ink stones (stones, ceramic, or clay) Military The AridWing military, as a whole, is quite similar to other tribes'. It is made up of two "divisions," each using different techniques in battle. Chi Division This division is usually more skilled with weapons, whether it is a bow and arrow, lance, or sword. These dragons are typically larger and stronger, relying on brute force instead of tactics and careful planning. Zhao Division This division is made up of strong, yet small dragons. Hybrids are more common here than in the Chi division. They use various types of martial arts, along with other tactics, to fight their enemies. They do not carry many weapons, if at all. The most they would have are a few throwing daggers, maybe a RainWing-like dart gun. These dragons prefer not to kill, although they would not hesitate to do so. Government The AridWing government is run by the reigning emperor/empress. They have six dragons, called the Council of Warriors. Each one of these dragons is skilled in a specific style of Kung Fu. Their job is to assist the emperor/empress with their decisions, act as an impartial jury, and most importantly, protect the emperor/empress. Not that their ruler is incapable of protecting themselves, of course. The Council of Warriors stamps out rebellion and prevents assassinations, among other things, so the current ruler can focus on the kingdom without fear of harm. Of course, with power there is corruption. On many occasions, the Council has framed dragons for attempting assassinations or other crimes to get money, respect, or (rarely) to eliminate a dragon that has committed one too many crimes, in their opinion. It is against royal law to do so, but this has gone unnoticed more times than it should have. History Pre-Scorching to Scorching The AridWings were believed to share ancestry with SandWings. During the Scorching and Pre-Scorching, they were not very unified, instead forming several "clans" and constantly warring. In the late years of the Scorching, emperor Kaishi rose to power, unifying the clans and beginning the Shi Dynasty. Post-Scorching: Years of Chaos Several years after the Scorching ended, the Shi family was overthrown by the Hei'an family. The first emperor was named Feng. Feng was a cruel ruler, enforcing many rules and harsh punishments. He organized the construction of a massive tomb for himself, and a search for immortality. The alchemists that were working for Feng conspired against him, and gave him mercury pills, claiming they were the source of immortality. Sure enough, the pills killed him quickly. The kingdom was thrown into chaos, and Feng's tomb was burned. Only the thousands of terracotta warriors guarding his grave remained, and they were soon lost to the sands. The Sha family rose to power soon after, with the first empress: Meinu. She developed the Council of Warriors. This was made up of six dragons skilled in a specific style of Kung Fu, the traditional martial art of the AridWings. SandWing War of Succession During the SandWing War, they remained neutral for quite a while, supporting any tribe in need. This granted them a sort of "immunity" to attack, as one tribe didn't want to wipe out their free assistance, even if it benefited their enemies. Eventually, they withdrew from the war, as their resources were depleting fast and the AridWings' living conditions slowly declining. The tribes were furious, and decided to attack. The IceWings, along with Blaze's SandWings, attacked and killed the current empress. Her daughter, Meigui, inherited the throne and immediately began organizing the military. The AridWings sided with Blister, but a few days later she and Burn were killed. The AridWings were not happy that Blaze was going to be queen, and agreed that Thorn was a good choice for the next SandWing queen. They did send students to Jade Mountain, but withdrew them as soon as they got word Darkstalker had returned. Tribal Relations IceWings: Due to their shared border, they are neutral towards this tribe, but they have no official alliance. SkyWings: They trade various valuable items with this tribe, such as gold and jade. They have a weak alliance. RainWings: they do not care for the RainWings because of their lazy nature and their queen, who is "too young." SeaWings: They do not interact very much, but they quite like them. NightWings: They have an alliance with this tribe. Despite the other tribes' dislike for them, they support the NightWings. SandWings: Their alliance with this tribe is very strong. It is not uncommon to see SandWings and AridWings living together. MudWings: They admire the tribe's military and have a good relationship with them. TrickWings: They do not trust the TrickWings, but are indifferent towards them. DriftWings: They are neutral towards them because of little interaction, but would ally with them if they could. AviWings: They have not interacted much with this tribe, and do not have any alliance, but admire their architecture and artwork. DeathWings: They are relatively close to them, but are not officially allies. TempestWings: They respect this tribe, and are neutral towards them due to little interaction. MistWings: The AridWings do not know much about this tribe, but have a good opinion of them. SwiftWings: They think their element-bending is cool, but are indifferent towards them. Category:Dj's garbage Category:Content (Diggertheleopardgecko)